>> and tom brokaw, what a great guy. >> i love tom brokaw. >> what time is it? >> it's "morning joe," we'll see you back here tomorrow. right now it's time for the "daily rundown." welcome to new york. the president gets a cheer from some in his own party on the eve of a big speech at the u.n. today. house republicans have the stage themselves, though. they're channelling their inner newt. now instead of a contract, it's a pledge. and the palin family business. sarah palin hotter than ever and her daughter now in the national spotlight. we go inside this political, cultural, and business phenomenon. it's september 23rd, 2010. i'm chuck todd. we're here in lovely new york city. >> morning, everyone. i'm savannah gurthrie. we're here in new york because the president is here for the united nations general assembly. let's get to the rundown. we're actually going to start in washington with republicans unveiling at long last their to

do list if they get power back this fall trying to turn the table on critics who say they've got no new ideas. one hour from now, house leaders will lay out their agenda. heavy on tax cuts and budget cuts. and critics say far too light on concrete details. mark murray is nbc's deputy political director joining us from washington. so it's called the pledge to america, mark. what's in it? >> well, savannah, there are many components, but among the provisions that they are going to be laying out today, one would be make all the bush tax cuts permanent. another priority for them would hold weekly votes on spending cuts. and then finally, to repeal and replace health care. of course, many of these ideas aren't necessarily new. we've been hearing from republicans for a very long time their desire to repeal and replace health care along with extending the bush tax cuts. but this is a response to democratic charges of where is the beef? what would republicans do if

they take back control of congress? and this 21-page document essentially does that. it lays out their ideas, what they would like to accomplish, and their priorities for the next congress. >> all right. mark murray in our washington newsroom. you know, savannah, the interesting thing was the reaction among folks at national review, for instance, or representing the pragmatic ring of the republican party and red state, eric erickson representing the, hey, this isn't bold enough wing of the republican party. the and it's an interesting thing that the leaders chose to find issues where they thought everyone could agree and didn't want to get into specifics they thought could divide the party. >> and needless to say the white house already attacking it, as well. they're getting it from the right and left, as well as is customary these days. the president is in new york today for the united nations general assembly. instead of warm greetings that he's used to at these events, he got this.

activists pushing for aids funding and gay rights, heckled the president, forcing him to go off script and respond directly to the protesters. listen. >> we listen to you. we heard your point. i want us to talk about what's at stake in this election. because the people that potentially will take over -- if we don't focus on this election, i promise you will cut funding. >> you know, hearing that speech, he was also talking about -- using the line more and more.

>> exactly. because they're excited, no? that's not why. in fact, speaking of the reason, we are here in new york, of course, president obama's big speech at the united nations. it takes place in less than an hour from now. let's get to nbc's michelle franzen live at the united nations. michelle, good morning, what are we expecting to hear from the president today? >> reporter: well, good morning, savannah. he's expected to face a little bit better of an audience here. but still a difficult world body here given the circumstances and the foreign policy that he's trying to tackle. he will also be talking about global -- the global economy. of course, the continued fight against terrorism around the world. but at the center piece of the president's speech today, he will focus heavily on the palestinian and israeli peace talks that had got underway earlier this month. he will be calling on world leaders to also help bring around results and put aside decades of differences and pessimism. and he's asking that they get behind these peace talks, as well as the creation of a

separate palestinian state. and his words that will not also tear down israel. so a lot to tackle here on the world stage as well as domestically. but certainly the president's agenda will be talked about today. he'll be also taking -- trying to take on the role of international statesman during this time at a time when he hasn't traveled very much around the globe in this past year. chuck, savannah? >> nbc's michelle franzen at the united nations. >> you know what was interesting when they previewed what he was going to say to the general assembly. well, this is going to be basically a world tour of foreign affairs. i don't think they're looking at it to set specific markers to foreign policy. >> when they describe it as a progress report on foreign policy, you know it's going to be light on news. i think there'll be an emphasis on direct talks in the middle east. this time last year we were here for the general assembly and all that was going on behind the scenes. they were about to unveil that nuclear facility in iran.

>> and never mind the rest of new york city was focused on what tent qadhafi was going to stay in, as well. let's move to georgia where sex abuse allegations involving a prominent pastor, eddie long are rocking one of the biggest known african-american mega churches in the south. ron, tell us about this story. >> reporter: hey there, savannah. good morning. this town is all abuzz over these allegations. three lawsuits filed in this courthouse behind me containing lurid details, involving one of the best-known pastors in this country, eddie long who heads the 25,000-member new birth missionary baptist church on the east side of the atlanta metro area. a lot of his members who have spoken publicly are in disbelief over these allegations. they say they can't believe that any of this is true, especially considering one of the young men charging eddie long and the church with improper behavior was arrested over the summer in june for a burglary at the church. now, eddie long has not spoken

publicly, but this morning, through his attorney issued this statement from craig gillen. >> let me be clear, the charges against me and new birth are false. i have devoted my life to helping others. and these false allegations hurt me deeply. but my faith is strong and the truth will emerge. >> reporter: now, the attorneys for the three men say that eddie long used a pattern of grooming these young men to ultimately have sexual relations with them. it's very explosive charges as we say that are rippling throughout the religious community. eddie long says he will address his congregation first this sunday. we don't know if media will be invited over that address. savannah, chuck, back up to you guys. >> all right, ron, in decatur, georgia. media i have a feeling will not be invited, but i have a feeling they'll be there. should the white house turn to wall street corporate america

to replace top adviser larry summers? up next, cnbc's maria bartiromo. all in the family from books to television shows. how sarah palin and her family are turning her celebrity into big business. is it good politics? the president's schedule, he's in new york, he's got a few private meetings with some world leaders, plus the head of the united nations. you're watching the rundown only on msnbc. [ female announcer ] what if your natural beauty could be flawless, too? new aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers, with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on, to even skin tone in four weeks. new aveeno tinted moisturizers. aren't absorbed properly unless taken with food. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. also available in small, easy-to-swallow petites.

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well, turning to chile and those 33 miners trapped underground since early august, there are new hopes the rescue could be weeks not months away. nbc's natalie morales is outside

the collapsed mine in chile. natalie, this drill they think they're getting down there, progress is being made, isn't it? >> reporter: a lot of progress being made. in fact, it is day 50 now. they've been counting down the days, they've been counting down the hours. but they've been now trapped for 50 days. three drilling teams behind me are working around the clock trying to dig that tunnel, which will then lead to their rescue. now, officials are now seemingly optimistic. they say that that rescue could actually take place now for the first week of november. but some of the families, some think that might be a little bit conservative because they've, in fact, ordered the rescue capsule that's going to help bring them up from the mine shaft to be here early next week. now, as much as there is activity here and the progress being made here, a lot of the rescue effort is involving the miners themselves. they're underground and actually

helping and working in shifts to clear rock from inside the tunnel. and they are also -- yesterday, a drill bit piece fell through to the tunnel, and they actually helped pick that up and get that and clear that out of there, as well. fortunately, none of them were injured as far from the area as they are. but it is essential that they participate and that they're involved in helping in that rescue, as well. and they're getting physically and mentally prepared for the day where they finally will be able to be reunited with their loved ones. chuck and savannah. >> now, it's great news if they can get them out earlier. we remember when they were talking not until christmas. natalie morales in chile this morning, thank you. >> thanks a lot. we're hearing it pretty much on a daily basis. the president trying to drive home the message that the economy is getting better. >> joining us now maria bartiromo, columnist for the "usa today," and how does she do it? author of the new book "the

weekend that changed wall street." >> thank you. nice to see you both. >> lawrence summers, the director of the national economic council at the white house leaving. this is not unexpected. there's an expectation that the white house will look to wall street, corporate america for a replacement. who are the names on the short list you're hearing? who do you think is up to the job? >> you know, i think it is smart of the administration to talk about someone with a business background. yesterday it was all over the blog and a lot of rumor mongering about the former ceo of xerox. she's got a great business background. did turn around xerox, actually. got to the company when it was at the worst and people were talking about bankruptcy. and, in fact, she was able to see that through. and actually take the company to a new level. i don't know. i don't know if the administration -- obviously you guys no better -- will go for a business person. you know the criticism for so long, there's no one in the administration that has any business background.

and i think in order to sort so far unite these two worlds, we need a little positive rhetoric. >> and they have their own special interest politics to worry about, which is labor. they have a harder time, democratic administrations, finding that ceo that also has a good relationship with labor unions. so they struggle with that. >> sure, and the unions deliver the votes. they don't want to go against the union. >> other interesting part about this is larry summers was largely criticized by the left by being too tied to corporate america. perhaps this announcement when it comes to the white house will be after the election. >> i want to talk about another member of the administration, treasury secretary, this ties into your book "the weekend that changed wall street." take a look at what i asked timothy geithner last week on "the daily rundown." >> do you have any regrets today between you fed chair bernanke and then hank paulson didn't figure out a way to save lehman

brothers? >> that would have been the right thing to do if we had any capacity to do it. >> that seemed to be a change from the time -- the government, or however you want to describe that what were trying to save wall street. there really is regret now that they let lehman fail, isn't there? >> i don't think people recognized the implications of letting lehman go and the severity of that. and it wasn't necessarily too big to fail as much as it was too connected to fail. and that is also the issue with aig. look, you know, i think at the end of the day, it's true, they did not have the authority. and i think the reason they say -- and this is what i write about in the book -- they had a big money player jpmorgan who was willing to come in and acquire the assets. >> like a t.a.r.p. essentially. >> yes. here they didn't have the resolution authority, which is why that ended up being item number two in the financial regulatory reform. but, you know, wall street

didn't want to buy it. dick fuld was talking about doing a deal with the koreans, that passed, the korean national bank. then barclays was at the table. they didn't want to buy the assets. we say toxic because those are the assets on the books at lehman brothers that were plummeting in value. chuck, some of these assets. they were extraordinary. when i was researching this book, i came across some of the assets on the books. and one of them was real estate on an island in dubai that wasn't even built yet. so they were basically -- >> islands -- >> they were selling real estate on this island and they were securitizing it. so people knew they were aware of some kind -- some of the real estate on the books that the real estate values were plummeting. nobody wanted to touch it. but i think there was something else that played there that weekend. i think hank paulson and tim geithner -- in order topproved

they needed evidence this was a real situation and lehman gave them that evidence. >> let's turn to the present day talking about the economy. there was a moment in ago on the heels of those home sales, figures being so terrible. everyone was concerned, have we increased our chances of a double-dip recession? >> i agree that with the administration's take that it's probably not going to be a double dip. i keep saying, it doesn't matter what you call it. you can label it double-dip, recession, depression -- it doesn't matter what it's labeled. the bottom line is it doesn't feel like anything's getting better. unemployment is a real issue, housing has been missing in action. we still have a lot of foreclosures in the system that are getting through the system. that's going to be a problem. business managers today are uncertain, complaining about higher health care costs, higher taxes. in many cases, with good reason, and as a result they're not going to stick their necks out and add heads to the payroll. unemployment's going to be an issue. it's not getting much better. i wish i had better news.

i think next year is going to be tough. >> the consumer -- i've heard a lot of ceos say this is still going to be a consumer-driven recovery, just not an american consumer-driven recovery. it's going to be elsewhere, is that right? >> absolutely. we're bumping along the bottom, 1.2% growth in gdp. look at what's going on in china, 11% growth. extraordinary growth there, india, 9% growth. brazil, on fire. all i hear from executives today, they're pouring money into brazil. you've got $1.8 trillion in cash that corporations are sitting on. they're not spending it in the united states, but they are spending it in china, india, latin america. she's creating 13 new plants for pepsico throughout china. and that means jobs and everything else because there are tax incentives to do that. >> businesses always say we have uncertainty. aren't things more certain now? the president has given the bottom line on the tax cuts. finreg is passed, health care is passed.

things are more certain now legislatively than they were a year ago. >> i have to disagree with you. i don't think so at all. going into 2011, people really don't know the cost of health care. they don't know -- companies do not know what it's going to cost them. they know it's going to be much more expensive than it was the last couple of years. finreg, wide open to interpretation. we don't know any situation on how it plays out. so it's very difficult for business managers to plan their business a couple of years out. and that includes how many employees they're going to have when you have all of these uncertainties in terms of open to interpretation. not sure about the cost of things, and then, of course, there's taxes. >> maria bartiromo. >> the wonder woman of wall street. >> "the weekend that changed wall street" do you have to do stuff with cnbc too? >> i sleep in my closet. no, i'll be on closing bell on cnbc. a top infant formula being recalled. wait until you hear why. plus -- >> do me a favor, can you say

senator instead of ma'am? >> the california senate race, carly fiorina launches the first attack ad. and let's say it's getting personal. but first obe, that's washington speak for overtaken by event. overcome by event. it's actually a military term when a situation changes so rapidly that a proposed plan of action is no longer possible or relevant. here's a more real world example. >> well, actually, chuck, let's say we made plans for coffee and then you say i'll see you at 10:00 unless obe, overtaken by events. >> what if i say fubar -- >> that'll be another washington speak for another day. >> fair enough. >> do you have some washington speak you want us to clarify? send us an e-mail. >> we'll be right back. ♪ just one bite opens a world of delight... ♪

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decision 2010 time. battle for the senate democrats are on defense in two historically blue states. in wisconsin, russ feingold down six points to republican business ron johnson. and a new poll down 21 with independents. today he's out with a new ad. and rather than running from his two decades in the senate, the message is after 18 years he's still the same independent guy, he says. take a look. >> back when i first ran for the senate, i said i'd shoot straight, be independent, and fight for wisconsin. i promised to stay connected to home. i was just a middleton guy running against multimillionaires with lots of tv ads. not much has changed today. i still live in the same house and continue to keep my promise to put the people of wisconsin ahead of any party or corporate interests. >> he did actually put on his garage door in that 1992 race. the republican response, nothing underscores how long russ feingold has been in washington like a commercial full of

decades old footage. movingn to california where fiorina is also recycling. and the famous click, the ad is called "sir." take a look. >> could you say senator instead of ma'am? it's just a thing. i worked so hard to get that title. so i'd appreciate it. yes, thank you. >> 28 years in washington and barbara boxer works hard for a title? i'll really go to work to end the arrogance in washington. >> that is the first major statewide for carly fiorina. i know a lot of people teach their kids that. it'll be interesting to see how that ad plays out in california. i expect to see a lot more of this picture. it ends with five seconds of boxer behind her name plate with no audio. in this climate, that's indictment enough. moving on for the battle for the house. and a region we're going to be watching closely on election

night, the russ belt. americans for job security is up on the air today with a group of ads hitting democrats in ohio, pennsylvania, and indiana. the boogiewoman in this case is nancy pelosi. the message is you've been robbed. here's the ad targeting pennsylvania's fourth district. >> what would it feel like if someone broke into your home or stole your credit card or ripped off your car? would you be upset? then what about what's happening in washington? jason altmire voted for nancy pelosi for increasing our national debt and for her wasteful stimulus and we still lost more than 2.5 million jobs. with their agenda, it can feel like you're getting robbed. >> well, these masked burglar ads are also hitting ohio's 18th district. and an open seat democratic candidate in pennsylvania and hoffman in indiana.

altmire is just one of a handful. by the way, franklin and marshall pulled in murphy's district. murphy is down 10, 46% to 36% in his rematch with former republican mike fitzpatrick. the white house is trying to take back who is trying to take back his old seat. that spread widens to 14 points. president obama won that with 54% of the vote, now his approval is is at 37%, 17-point drop by the way after that supreme court decision. americans for jobs security is one of the third party groups whose donors are largely undisclosed. and savannah, did you see the david axelrod op ed in the "washington post" all about these third-party groups and saying, hey, this is hurting -- basically the message was this is hurting the democrats' chances of holding the house and senate. >> this is an issue they've been

talking about a lot. the president has been talking a lot about it on the stump too. coming up, who makes the list of forbes richest people? and also, it turns out, billionaires aren't exactly recession proof. a major recall of baby formula this morning. 5 million cans off the shelves for a very disturbing reason. with the rise of the republican right, our moderate gopers and endangered species. we're going to talk to one of them, christine todd whitman joins us live. but first a trivia question. which former clinton administration official volunteered at an israeli army base during the 1991 persian gulf war? the answer and more next on "the daily rundown." when i was seventeen, i was not good to my skin. long summer days, and not enough sleep. what i wouldn't do for a do-over. [ female announcer ] neutrogena® clinical skincare, exclusive ion2 complex combined with activating cream

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quick look at what's driving thursday. >> at the top of the hour, president obama will address the united nations general assembly here in new york. this evening, the president will introduce the first lady before she makes closing remarks at the clinton global initiative. while the president speaks at the u.n., house republicans will be unveiling their so-called pledge to america calling for cuts to spending and taxes along with the repeal of the president's health care law. and speaking of, today marks the six month anniversary of the health care law. children are now covered under their parents plan until they're 26. children under 19 cannot be denied for pre-existing conditions. other stories making headlines on a thursday. in virginia, the first execution of a woman there in nearly a century is set for today. lewis was accused of master minding a murder for hire in 2002. the two gunmen in that case got life sentences.

abbott laboratories has announced a voluntary recall of millions of containers of top-selling similac infant formula after beetles and larva were found in some of the products. they don't pose any immediate health risks. sign of the times, blockbuster filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy as it reorganizes, the former video rental power house has lost market share to subscription sites like netflix and to video streaming services. and 26-year-old facebook founder mark zuckerburg is announcing a big donation, $100 million for the newark, new jersey, school system. this just as a movie accusing him of stealing the idea for facebook hits theaters this weekend. >> all right. >> we don't want to be cynical. >> yes, yes, yes. we know there's the best dressed, the top 25 in sports. but if you're going to make the list, this is probably the one to go for. >> forbes is out with the list

of the richest people in america. one popular newcomer. the popular newcomer is somebody we were just talking about. >> mark zuckerburg. he was on it last year, but his wealth has more than tripled. last year he was worth $2 billion, now he's worth $6.9 billion as facebook is perceived as more and more valuable. warren buffett and bill gates battle it out $54 billion and $45 billion. so there's a big spread there. another notable thing about the list this year is -- there you see also larry ellison's on the list $27 billion, he comes in third. that's the founder of oracle, the company that makes software for businesses. and you know what? the waltons. the walmart empire is so big, guys, that even after sam walton died, four of his heirs make the top ten. you add them all up, you get to $84 billion to easily beat

warren buffett and bill gates. >> they're almost the new rockefellers. 30 years ago you would see all of the rockefellers on there. now, boy, you don't see that name showing up on this list. and now the waltons are the 21st century rockefellererockefeller. >> once wealth starts to spread through the generations, it's very hard for the next generation to really keep it up. there's just something about that founder that made it go and -- >> got the fire in the belly. >> exactly. >> all right, michelwith the li. big upsets this election season. some wonder if the republican moderate is becoming an endangered species. >> joining us christine todd whitman, former republican governor of new jersey. she currently co-chairs the clean and safe energy coalition which promotes nuclear power for america's energy security. i do want to get to the energy issue in a minute. but look, we know that inside the party, there certainly seems

to be some tension, some friction. this new pledge to america today actually tried to gloss over it a little bit. the house leadership did their best. but we're seeing even in the bl blogisphere. what would you tell a moderate, what would you tell olympia snow how to respond what's going on inside the party? >> actually to hang in there because i think the moderates in congress -- if neither party gets a veto-proof majority, then the voice of the moderates is going to become even more important. >> moderate democrats and moderate republicans? >> both of them. because if you look at the democrats that one contested primaries, they ran hard to the left. so the snare joe is you could get people pretty hard right and pretty hard left. that's going to make it harder to get things done in washington. we have big issues, like our energy, what are we going to do about our energy policy? what are we going to do about the deficit? what are we going to do about

spending and taxes? all of these things are serious problems and we need people to come together. and i still travel around the country and the majority of the people are still are in the center. they want to see things done but they are fed up with the way washington has behaved over the last decade really. >> what do you make of the tea party movement? a lot of folks admire the energy of the movement. it seems that republicans are very careful not to criticize it, maybe nervous about that energy and it could be directed at them. what do you make of it? is this good for the republican party? >> well, what it is is a bunch of people saying, look, we've had enough. this is ridiculous. congress has not been hearing us, the president hasn't been hearing us. we don't want government in every daily aspect of our lives. and some of these great spending programs are great and help people, but we know who are going to pay for them, us. costs and spending are going up. and right now you don't see businesses investing and spending and hiring because we don't see any inclination to cut

spending. and they don't know what's going to happen to taxes and then you're going not to make the investments because you're afraid your tax bill will go through the roof. >> should mike castle run as a write-in? he has a week to decide. he says he's going to take the entire week to decide. >> well, i think he would be the best person to represent delaware in the senate. and how he determines to get there was another thing. but, you know, again -- it's great to have people that are angry and moving along and wanting to see change. but you want people who are prepared to take on the responsibility of office. and if you're saying, look, we want people to control spending and be serious about taxes. let's get someone who can manage their own money. and this instance in delaware, doesn't look like our candidate, christine o'donnell is able to do that. >> on energy, an issue you know a lot about. we saw senator say yesterday it's all but dead in the first term.

all of us clearly could see reading the tea leaves. are you, i guess, concerned about whether or not this country is going to be able to put together an energy policy and make these reforms? no matter how you come down on it on any individual policy. but in this environment. can anything get done? >> i'm very concerned about that. and as i said, we need to elect people who are going to be serious about reaching the compromises that will get us good policy. but energy policy. when you look at it. little things, like, are you going to talk about renewable energy or green clean energy? nuclear plays under green clean energy. it's 70% of our green energy today and 20% of our overall energy mix. we're looking at a 28% increase in electricity demand by 2035. that may sound like a long way away, that's tomorrow for utility because of the kind of decisions they have to make on investment and capital investment. we've got to get serious about what our mix of energy is going to look like. and we've got to do it now. >> i've heard a number of pragmatists saying, look, the

only way to get 60 is to do comprehensive. the idea of a comprehensive bill in this next congress seems -- there is no chance you would see -- >> well, you might if you get away from talking about the climate change issue. that's the political hot spot. if you talk about clean energy and green energy, you'll get to the benefits that we're looking for on the climate side. but you'll do it in a way that doesn't -- >> it's a marketing issue? >> i think it's a marketing issue to a large degree and it's a responsibility issue. congress has the responsibility to step up and stop this. >> why isn't it framed as getting energy independence? >> well, exactly, it's national security, it's a whole host of things like that. and there are a lot of ways to talk about it. >> great to have you here. a programming note next week, msnbc and all the networks of nbc universal are focusing on how to improve america's classrooms. education nation kicks off this sunday at noon eastern with brian williams hosting a town hall with teachers. then on monday, an nbc

exclusive, president obama sits down with today's matt laura for a one-on-one live interview that will air uninterrupted for an entire half hour starting at 8:00 eastern on nbc, msnbc, and cnbc. and on tuesday, join us live from education plaza where our guests include education secretary arne duncan. >> hope everybody wrote that down. that's a lot to remember. >> take notes if you're a good students in your classroom, you're taking notes. which former clinton administration official volunteered at an israeli army base during the 1991 persian gulf war? personally, chuck, i think this was an easy one. >> i do too. the answer, current white house chief of staff rahm emanuel. >> well, certainly mayoral candidate of chicago, that's almost certain. coming up, the family business. sarah palin and now her daughter taking their celebrity to new heights. is this good for political fortunes or just the bottom line?

let's reveal the white house soup of the day. chicken chili, the president's gone and the staff is there and they'll be enjoying chicken chili. >> you're watching "the daily rundown" only on msnbc. when i had my heart attack, i couldn't believe it. it was a real shock. i remember being at the hospital thinking, "i should have done more to take care of myself." you should've. that's why i'm exercising more now. eating healthier. and i also trust my heart to lipitor. [ male announcer ] when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication that is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. lipitor is backed by over 18 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant,

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it's cracked up to be. >> really. in the space of two years, sarah palin has had a meteorete rise, at least in the lower 28. she's nabbed lucrative book deals and tv contracts. is good business good politics? >> one of the media strategists for john mccain during the 2008 campaign. did a little bit of work with sarah palin. so i get this question -- i'm sure you get this question. we all do. what is sarah palin? is she a politician? is she a celebrity? is she something we've never seen before? >> she's a celebitician. you remember one of the great quotes was he was making paris hilton look reclusive given the celebrity press he was getting. absolutely, she is our american

idol politician these days. and it's ironic that her children will be on "dancing with the stars." >> we're taking it to that next level. >> yeah. is it reality tv or is tv reality? it's politics and it's all meshing together and culture's become politics. >> chelsea clinton, barbara bush, jenna bush, would they have done this in the same way and have a cone of protection, frankly, the way -- isn't it different? >> it's constantly evolving. that's what's fascinating. the way sarah palin is using social media to protect herself and build a wall and communicate exactly what she wants to communicate. it's brilliant, really. she's figured out a way to manipulate modern media and culture. >> she never misses a chance to rage against the mainstream media. and she's so much a media creation. right up until now we're here talking about her. >> it's rich with irony because she gets attacked by the media

and criticized by the media, but they can't stay away from her. she's like crack for the media. >> you make the case that she could get the republican nomination. and i guess i want to push back on it. what i found fascinating -- we saw tony perkins, family research council. him sort of pulling back and saying, look, she's a celebrity. and trying to explain why she finished fifth in their straw poll. and you don't see her in polls among republican voters. you don't say a majority saying, yeah, she's presidential timber. they've separated her into this sort of this she is a leader, not a president. >> that's one reason i think it'd be smarter for her not to run. she's got as much influence, money, prestige she could have, which i think will only be diminished if she runs. but the event you're mentioning, which is the value voters summit where she placed last, i think, in that poll was completely dominated d pushed out of the out and pushed out of the news

by her appearance in iowa. think of the money and the sort of grassroots organization around the country. she'll be able to put together it will be substantial and powerful. i do think that there will be a lot of serious republicans that will say, now wait a minute, that's a lot of sizzle, we need a little steak here and we need to take a serious look at players like mike pepsand others. >> do you think she's a serious thinker? >> i think what she knows she can teach. she has to show some interest in learning. >> i think she has to show she's not lazy and she wants to put in the hard work. >> i want to talk about the 2010 elections. bill clinton in an interview with politico one thing newt gingrich taught in 1994, he

didn't say this, but was applying it. he is advising the white house to have asian national conversa politics is national. >> that's really interesting, i think that is another testament to just how smart bill clinton is. he's a hall of famer. i think that's true. i haven't thought about it before, but that's an interesting insight. >> inside the white house, they do not share that view. they are trying to keep this election local. >> you listen to the big dog. >> mark mckinnon just all around nice guy from austin. >> the radical moderate. >> radical moderate. radical centrist, watch out. thanks, mark. follow us any time on twitter and we will be right back. [ female announcer ] what if your natural beauty could be flawless, too? new aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers, with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals give you sheer coverage instantly,

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before we go, it's shallow time. mahmoud ahmadinejad isn't the most popular kid at lunch table. whatever it is that ahmadinejad's personal chef is cooking up is making his whole hotel stink. then last night on letterman, the late night host pointed out a very bizarre scene at the u.n. take a look. >> did you see this. it's crazy. take a look. >> in an effort to change your views of iran as an evil regime and a nuclear threat to the entire world, i am going to do something big. we are going to tehran! you are going to tehran and you are going to tehran and you are going to tehran. and we will be flown by captain horshack. letter letterman/oprah/ahmadinejad humor. the president has now walked into the united nations. his big speech, like i said,

going to be a huge world tour from 30,000 feet of the president's foreign policy. all right, this is first lady michelle obama a few minutes ago also making her way, as well. she has a big speech at the clinton gobel initiative. >> that is it for the "daily rundown." >> at 1:00 don't miss "andrea mitchell reports." we'll see you back here tomorrow morning. stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com. but the financial landscape is- still full of uncertainty. in times like these, you need an experienced partner to look out for you.

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